Partnered with a Survivor: David Mandel and Ruth Reymundo Mandel
Partnered with a Survivor is a professional-focused podcast created and produced by Ruth Reymundo and hosted by the Safe & Together Institute. What began as intimate conversations between Ruth and David Mandel—founder of the Institute and creator of the Safe & Together Model—about violence, relationships, abuse, and the systems that respond to them has grown into a global conversation about systems and culture change.
Hosted by Ruth and co-hosted by David, the podcast features in-depth, professionally grounded discussions about how institutions respond to domestic abuse, gender-based violence, and child maltreatment. Many episodes also feature global leaders working across fields such as child safety, men and masculinity, perpetrator accountability, fatherhood, and partnering with survivors.
Together, these conversations examine how systems often fail adult and child survivors, how societal narratives about masculinity and violence shape professional practice, and how intersectional realities—including cultural and religious beliefs, racialised identities, LGBTQ+ experiences, immigration status, disability, and other structural vulnerabilities—shape responses to abuse and violence.
The podcast offers an insider lens into how professionals navigate systems not only as practitioners, but also as parents and partners. Through candid dialogue and critical reflection, Ruth and David challenge the assumptions and structures that limit meaningful accountability, safety, and healing. The goal is collective movement across systems, cultures, and families toward greater safety, nurturance, and sustained change.
Disclaimer: Episodes contain sensitive topics and occasional mature language that may be difficult for some listeners. The views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Safe & Together Institute or its staff.
Partnered with a Survivor: David Mandel and Ruth Reymundo Mandel
Latest Episodes
Season 7, Episode 7: Coercive Control and Children: What Systems Miss | Conference Wrap-Up (Australia 2025)
Season 7 Episode 6: Domestic Abuse in Queer Relationships
Season 7 Episode 5: AI in Child Protection: Can Technology Make Social Work Safer?
Season 7 Episode 4: When Violence Hides In Plain Sight: Expanding Clinical Curiosity to Protect Children with Dr. Norell Rosado
Season 7 Episode 3: How Systems Become Tools of Coercive Control and What Professionals Must Change: An Interview with Valerie Frost
Fan Mail
Listening to your podcast and subscribed to the mapping tool. You are a voice of reason that is so desperately needed also in Finland! What can I do to get your model planted with the Finnish authorities? I am in the midst of 3 upcoming court cases with my abuser and my child is not safe. The situation in the Finnish family court is such that my lawyer told me not to report rape while the custody case is on, so they won’t turn it against me and put the child with the abusive father! I reported it anyway. I will map and print and talk about your model to whoever I come to contact with. And after the court cases are over and I am no longer gagged, I will never stop talking about domestic violence and the perpetrator focus. Thank you again so much for your life-saving work, we will do this system change together! Best regards, Hanna Partanen hanna@peaceinvaders.fi
Finland